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Geneva's Gift Box marks 70 years

'A place to connect with Swedish roots'

GENEVA – The gnomes are out in force at The Gift Box, 310 W. State St., Geneva, as the region’s Swedish store makes ready for Christmas with traditional Scandinavian decorations.

An army of dala horses in all colors welcomes guests as various decorations declare "God Jule," which is Swedish for Merry Christmas.

The store marks 70 years in business this year, said owner Hans Jönsson, who, along with his sister, inherited the business when their father died in 2013.

[Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]

[Jeanne Martin and Tessa Ray-Wagner manage the Gift Box on State Street in Geneva. Hans Jonsson and his sister Maria inherited their father's store when Nils Erik Lennart Jönsson died in 2013. The siblings decided to keep it going, even though Hans lives in Florida and Maria lives in New Mexico.]

“There have been some challenges in keeping the business going from out-of-town,” Jönsson said, as he lives in Florida and his sister lives in New Mexico.

“Both of us individually travel back to Geneva frequently and with good, trusted help, it’s been quite successful.”

The fact that they’ve kept it open is a measure of how much they care for sustaining a store that celebrates their Swedish heritage.

[Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]

[Unique Swedish and Scandinavian items for sale at the Gift Box on State Street in Geneva. Hans Jonsson and his sister Maria inherited their father's store when Nils Erik Lennart Jönsson died in 2013. The siblings decided to keep it going, even though Hans lives in Florida and Maria lives in New Mexico.]

“Instead of shutting it when dad passed away, it was important that we keep it going,” Jönsson said. “We both grew up with the business – as soon as we were old enough to sweep floors and move boxes. It would have been easy to just put [up] the out-of-business sale sign and turn off the lights. But it’s a huge part of the community for so many years. So we wanted it to continue.”

Jönsson, 54, works for an airline and his sister, Maria, 56, is an archeologist and an artist who also does seasonal work with the National Forest Service, he said.

[Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]

[Chris Burke shops at the Gift Box on State Street in Geneva. Hans Jonsson and his sister Maria inherited their father's store when Nils Erik Lennart Jönsson died in 2013. The siblings decided to keep it going, even though Hans lives in Florida and Maria lives in New Mexico.]

“We would go with dad on buying trips to the goods shows and to Sweden,” Jönsson said. “It was always a concern: What are we going to do when mom and dad are gone? It was a no-brainer for us to say, let’s try to make this work.”

They are also looking at having a third partner who could be more hands-on locally, Jönsson said.

“We established ourselves during the decades as a place to connect with Swedish roots.”

Jönsson said other Swedish-related businesses have closed in the Andersonville neighborhood in Chicago, leaving one last Swedish bakery and deli still open.

“We have a strong customer base, third-generation customers who used to come in with their grandparents when they were little,” Jönsson said.

“There’s no place left to get Swedish goods,” Jönsson said. “We expanded our food offerings to provide for the need for goods for a Swedish Christmas table or smorgasbord.”

[Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]

[Tomte, a Swedish house gnome, for sale at the Gift Box on State Street in Geneva. Hans Jonsson and his sister Maria inherited their father's store when Nils Erik Lennart Jönsson died in 2013. The siblings decided to keep it going, even though Hans lives in Florida and Maria lives in New Mexico.]

“Another popular thing that any Swede will like is Kalles Kaviar,” Jönsson said. “It’s in a tube like toothpaste and is a staple for Swedes. I eat it on hardtack for breakfast or on a deviled egg or hard-boiled egg.”

In trying to step up the modernization of the store, Jönsson said they do a lot of shipping to customers who live on the far north and south sides of Chicago, as well as in Wisconsin.

Tessa Ray-Wagner, of Batavia, described herself as a long-time employee and long-time customer of The Gift Box.

[Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]

[Unique Swedish and Scandinavian items for sale at the Gift Box on State Street in Geneva. Hans Jonsson and his sister Maria inherited their father's store when Nils Erik Lennart Jönsson died in 2013. The siblings decided to keep it going, even though Hans lives in Florida and Maria lives in New Mexico.]

“My grandparents, Jim and Roz Hazelton, were good friends with Lennart and Ingrid Jönsson,” Ray-Wagner said. “Since my grandparents were of Scandinavian descent, they shopped here frequently, and so I always did.”

Ray-Wagner said she was happy the Jönsson siblings decided to keep the store open.